The present invention relates to a livestock feeder for hay bales, stacks and the like, and more particularly relates to a livestock feeder which enables animals feeding about its perimeter to have access to feed in the center of the feeder.
Where feed for livestock is left completely accessible and no controls are placed on the animal's feeding, there is much wastage of the feed. For example cattle tend to eat from the top to the bottom of a haystack, and climb up into the stack. Much of the hay is trampled by the cattle and cattle will not eat trampled hay.
Livestock feeders having fences within which feed for livestock is contained, and outside the perimeter of which livestock stand to feed, are well-known in the prior art. Such feeders permit large quantities of feed, such as hay, to be placed in reach of livestock without being spoiled, damaged or otherwise wasted, while the livestock are feeding. Often they are portable and can be readily moved from one location to another to provide clean surroundings for the livestock.
Prior art livestock feeders of general background interest with respect to the present invention are described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,004,518 of Struckhoff issued Oct. 17, 1961, 3,067,723 of Norwood issued Dec. 11, 1962, 3,092,077 of Smoker et al issued June 4, 1963, 3,738,327 issued June 12, 1973 of Stirling, 3,832,977 of Ladewig et al issued Sept. 3, 1974, 3,906,902 of Rose issued Sept. 23, 1975, and 4,148,278 of Anderson issued Apr. 10, 9179, as well as in Canadian Pat. Nos. 555,152 of Hanson issued Apr. 1, 1958 and 1.061,663 of Schoessow issued Sept. 4, 1979.
Unless such feeders are of relatively small dimensions, in which case they will likely have insufficient capacity, hay or other feed in the center of the feeders cannot be reached by the livestock feeding therein. In order to avoid this problem, hay stack feeders made of fences hinged together at adjacent ends, permitting the feeder to collapse inwardly have been developed. Examples of such feeders are described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,834,353 of Groezinger issued Sept. 10, 1974, 4,089,301 of Harden issued May 16, 1978; 4,193,378 of Harden issued Mar. 18, 1980, and 4,346,671 of Wagner issued Aug. 31, 1982. These references describe and illustrate feeders in which the collapsed configuration generally is of triangular shape, still often times making it difficult for livestock to feed on hay or the like left in the center of the triangular area or areas circumscribed by the collapsed sections.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a unique and original hay stack feeder, of the hinged panel or fence construction, which will enable collapsing of the panels in such a manner that hay in the center of the feeders can be reached by livestock. It is a further objection of the present invention to provide such a feeder which provides good feed retaining capacity and restricts wastage of feed by livestock feeding thereon.